Price tag for new City Hall no sticker shock to Taunton officials

TAUNTON — The estimated price tag for rebuilding City Hall downtown, as presented at last week’s City Council meeting, was $5 million higher than an earlier estimate from Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr.

But don’t jump to conclusions, said councilman David Pottier, a member of the Public Property Committee.

Pottier noted that the mayor’s $20 million estimate last April was for a far less comprehensive version that would not include demolition of the circa 1850 rear section.

The much longer rear portion of the building, which has been closed since 2010, contained both Municipal Chambers and the mayor’s office.

A more aggressive and extensive version was presented last June, but it was a preliminary snapshot and lacked some details, including a cost estimate, Pottier said.

Then-Building Department Superintendent Wayne Walkden estimated at the time the job would probably end up costing “in the low twenties (millions of dollars).”

That same version was presented last week with an estimated project cost of just over $25 million.

“It’s not that far off,” from the estimate proffered last summer by Walkden, said Hoye, who stressed that he wants a rebuilt City Hall downtown that will be functional and safe for generations to come.

The visual renderings displayed on a screen for councilors last week included images of contemporary style council chambers bearing no resemblance — either to the old downtown council chambers or the interim chambers still in use inside the former Lowell M. Maxham School building on Oak Street.

Nearly all departmental offices originally in the Summer Street building moved into the former elementary school after an arsonist set a fire in City Hall’s fourth-floor attic.

No one was injured and the building remained intact, but water-saturated walls and ceilings were torn apart by a demolition crew ostensibly to prevent mold and further deterioration.

No one was ever charged with setting the short-lived, but costly, fire.

Public Property Committee member Jeanne Quinn, who also sits on an advisory committee for the City Hall renovation project, said the council will be looking at one or possibly two more comprehensive versions of the same, final plan within the month.

“It was a just a preliminary look,” she said of last week’s PowerPoint display. “Nothing is final yet.”

Quinn said the initial cost estimate from Providence-based Durkee Brown Viveiros Werenfels was even higher.

“We managed to whittle it down (and) we’ll continue to try to whittle it down,” Quinn said of the building committee, which she says has been meeting every two weeks.

She said she’s confident the City Council will take a final vote to approve a plan before the end of the year.

The plan presented last week calls for an entirely new four-story section for the rear of the building — which slopes down from the front entrance facing Church Green — and an attached, two-level structure connecting to that main building via glass walkway.

The shorter, stouter building would include spacious municipal chambers with adjoining media room and meeting room, as well as departmental offices on the lower level.

The plan calls for 59 initial parking spaces behind City Hall with additional 44 if the city is able to take possession of two apartment buildings that sit behind City Hall.

The Land Court, in a 2015 tax title ruling, gave the city possession of a vacant, dilapidated third apartment building at 27 Leonard Court.

Mayor Hoye said the city is negotiating a sale with the owner or owners of the other two buildings.

As for last week’s presentation, he said he was “thrilled with the design.”

Last Tuesday’s presentation also included an option for just over $1 million to build a new basement at the rebuilt City Hall.

Councilwoman Estele Borges, who also sits on the committee for public property, said she’ll urge her fellow councilors to approve appropriation of the extra money for the basement.

“I thought the design was beautiful, and the extra million dollars is worth it,” Borges said.

She added: “We want City Hall to be the center of gravity and an attraction, and I’m not surprised with the price.”

City Treasurer Barbara Auger told the council she favors paying off the bond payment, no matter its length, with equal principal payments.

That way, she said, it would “allow us to tackle other projects.”

Equal payment, as opposed to level-debt or “equal total payment,” pays down the same principal portion period to period, which results in declining interest payments and an overall lower unpaid balance.

In response to councilor Deborah Carr asking if there was any expectation in the near future of “any significant debt coming off the books,” Auger said she would need a couple weeks to look into the matter and report back to the council.